Essay Database

Legendary Heroes: Odysseus and Achilles The characters Odysseus in Homer’s The Odyssey, and Achilles in Homer’s The Iliad, both prove to be legendary heroes in these epics, as they each possess distinctive qualities that create their heroic legacy. Odysseus is a hero renowned for his brain as well as his physicality. He possesses positive attributes of patience, courage, and endurance, yet his sensualness and his excessive pride appear to be his weaknesses. The …

…his death. Just as Odysseus displays excessive pride, so does Achilles as he desecrates Hector’s body by dragging the body on the ground excessively. However, showing a humane character trait, Achilles eventually surrenders the body of Hector to his sorrowful father, as Achilles somewhat humbles himself, just as Odysseus does as he reaches Ithaca. Both Odysseus and Achilles are portrayed as heroes, each possessing great character attributes, yet showing flaws and weaknesses as well.